How to Save a Life
by CSI-Scarlett
Summary: Chapter 14 brings a little joy.
1. Chapter 1

How To Save a Life

Disclaimer: CSI doesn't belong to me. I only own some merchandise and having nothing else so please don't sue me.

Summary: Sara has the opportunity to go down a new path: Motherhood

Rating: T (I don't really know)

Author: CSI.Scarlett aka Kate

A/N: Thanks to my betas Kes and Cheryl. If you don't like it tell me if you do like it tell me!! If I don't get reviews I won't continue either way.

Chapter 1

It was 10:30 on a Tuesday morning when the shrill ring of the phone drew Gil Grissom out of a contented sleep. He groaned and cracked open one eye, his hand unconsciously stroking the smooth skin of the woman in his arms. Sara was laying solidly across his chest and simply nuzzled in more as she heard the plaintive moan escape his chest.

"Sara your phone is ringing,"he nudged her lightly and snuggled back into his pillow, considering the problem solved.

Still half asleep, the slim brunette rolled onto her back and reached for her cell. Through sleep deprived eyes she stared confused at the screen before realizing it was blank. "No. Your land line," she groaned and threw a hand in his direction, lightly slapping his face.

His reprieve over he took actions to mean that he should answer it as it was on his side of the bed. He cleared his throat, "Hello?" The man on the other side appeared confused when Grissom answered since he was trying to reach a woman.

"Um, yes...Is Sara Sidle there?"

"Yes, she's here. Hold on a moment," Grissom covered the mouthpiece and shook Sara's shoulder. "Shockingly it's for you."

"Argh!" Was Sara's only reply. She hated phone calls, particularly ones that interrupted the modicum of sleep she managed to grab.

"Sara," Grissom said waving the phone in front of her. She scowled and sat up her hair falling messily around her face,

"This is Sara Sidle," she yawned.

"Hello, Miss Sidle my name is Robert Grant and I am your brother's lawyer," Sara's eyebrows shot up both intrigued and concerned. She rarely spoke to her brother, something must be up.

"Is something wrong, did something happen?"

"Um, yes your brother and his girlfriend were killed in a car accident last Saturday. We didn't know how to contact you until I found his address book yesterday, but by then they were both cremated."

Her breath clenched in her chest, and she felt the world begin to spin slightly. While they weren't all that close, since being separated when they were younger, Sara was still horrified. He was the only living remnant of her immediate family, and it hurt. "Cremation…?" the word lodged in her throat… "Why have you called me now…?"

"Well, you are his only living relative and we need you to take care of some things here in Oregon."

"In Oregon?" He was that close to her and she never realized? Maybe she would have tried to contact him.

"Yes, your brother owned a home here in Portland. We need you to come here to deal with a few matters of his estate,"

"Oh, well, is a trip there necessary? Can't you just sell the house? I will sign any of the papers you want just send them to me," Confusion was laced through her words. Was it really imperative that she travel to Oregon? Not that she didn't have the vacation days, she probably had around ten weeks, she just had no desire to go to Oregon.

"Alright we can do that, but we still need you to come to Portland. We have some documents for you to sign for taking custody."

"Custody?" Sara was extremely confused by this point.

"Yes, Miss Sidle," A level of frustration was now evident in his words. Didn't this woman know anything? "Of the children."

"Children?" Sara's eyebrows shot up and Grissom looked at her questioningly.

"Yes, you know you have two nephews and a niece right?" Things were beginning to click for the lawyer.

"Chris has children? I just can't believe that," The words hit her like a sledgehammer. CHILDREN… Holy shit!

Grissom by this point was staring at Sara intently. He was trying to understand what was going on based on the rather stilted and one sided conversation he was hearing.

"Yes, three children, two boys and a little girl. The boys are thirteen and four and the little girl is fourteen months. Miss Sidle your brother requested that should anything happen to him that they be placed in your custody. He felt very strongly that they not go into foster care," Sara sat holding the phone loosely in her hand, and stared at it for a moment, horrified, before returning it to her ear. she She couldn't believe that her brother had children and she really couldn't believe that he had intended her to have custody of them.

"Ah...Okay, what do you need me to do?"

"Are you willing to take custody of them then?"

It took her a moment to get over the shock, but her response was instantaneous. "Yes! There is no way I would let them go into foster care. They will be with me," at this Grissom looked at her, surprised that she would make that type of decision without talking to him first. He got up and started to get dressed as Sara listened to what needed to be done for her to take custody of her nephews and niece. She waved at him trying to get him to sit down next to her on the bed, but he sharply shook his head and left the room.

Sara needed to wrap up this phone call.

"Okay, Mr. Grant I will have to get some time off of work, but that shouldn't be a problem," her front door slammed shut. "I will be on my way as soon as I can."

"That's great Miss Sidle. I will be happy when the children are taken care of. They're scared, and confused, and understandably upset."

"Thank you Mr. Grant, I will call you when I get my flight information."

"Alright, talk to you soon then."A sigh of relief punctuated his words.

"Bye," Sara quickly ended the call and then started dialing again.

"Don't talk to me now Sara," was Grissom's reply when he finally answered his cell phone.

"Why did you leave like that?"

"How could you make that kind of decision without talking to me first? Tell me, are you planning on keeping these children until you can find a proper placement for them or are you planning on raising them yourself?"

"Well, I hadn't thought about it yet. I don't really want them to go into the system though." A sob hitched her voice. This was her flesh and blood. How could he be so callous? "Grissom you have to understand that, and you of all people know why I don't want them in the system."

"Yes, I do know but, Sara, we have talked about this. I don't want children. I would never make a good father. You deciding to take these kids is not something I can be a part of."

"So? What? You're ending this? After everything we've been through you are ending this because I'm going to take custody of my brother's children?" Anger edged her words, despite the hurt in them.

"Yes, I guess I am." His voice and words were harsh in her ear.

A tear slipped down onto Sara's cheek, disbelief rolling around in her head. She couldn't believe that he was doing this.

"Can't you find someone there to take care of them, maybe their mother's family?"

"Chris' girlfriend was killed in the accident, so I don't know. He named me legal guardian, so I assume that there's no one else. We weren't close Griss; I haven't talked to him in a year."

"Try to find someone else, Sara."

"I need some time off," she replied ignoring his statement.

"Fill out the paperwork and leave it on my desk, and Sara? Find someone else."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next morning, with a semblance of mixed emotions, Sara got on an 8:00 flight with Alaskan Airlines. Her arrival time would get her into Portland around 10:15. She'd called her brothers lawyer the previous afternoon to let him know her flight times and he'd been both happy and relieved that she was coming so soon, so much so that he was willing to pick her up at the airport.

Unable to get a seat by an exit or a seat near first class, where there would have been more room; Sara shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Since she was traveling on her own the check in clerk had taken it upon himself to stick her in the last row of seats by the bathroom. As far as she could tell they were the worst seats on the plane and definitely the smelliest.

Sara sighed and shifted again.

The sandy haired man next to her smiled sympathetically, "I hate flying, but you're taller than me so you must hate even more."

"It's not something I do very often," Sara replied. She was not the least bit interested in getting into a conversation with a stranger so she reached into her purse to pull out a book in hopes of deterring any further communication. She was one sentence into the first chapter when a baby started crying a few rows a head.

"Great! I hate kids on planes. Parents with babies should drive everywhere so no one else has to deal with the crying," Sara cast him a caustic glance but held her tongue. She hadn't really thought that far ahead. She intended to return to Vegas with but hadn't solidified any plans, choosing not to do so until she had actually met the children. Renting a car was an option as was flying but she didn't know how a four year old and a fourteen month old would take the two and a half hour flight. Sara sighed again and looked out the window. It was looking to be a long flight.

The plane touched down in Portland at 10:19. Sara knew the exact time because she had been repeatedly checking her watch for the last half hour of the flight. She was able to get to the roadside pick-up quickly because she hadn't checked her bag and her brother's lawyer arrived there soon after. Within minutes they were then on their way to his office.

"What do I all have to do?" Sara asked getting straight to the point the minute she'd pulled the door shut.

"Well, first we have to discuss the children and the care that they will need, if you still decide to take them. Then we'll just need you to sign some forms transferring them into your custody. Since your brother requested you as guardian we don't have to do a home-study or anything like that. They won't be officially adopted for a few months, though. The courts are a bit backed up, and since you are in Las Vegas we can probably have the case transferred there so you don't have to fly to Portland again."

"Thanks, I'd appreciate that. What do we have to discuss about the children?" Sara asked concerned . The lawyer looked at her pensively trying to gauge if he should tell her everything. He sighed.

"Well, the youngest Olivia won't take a bath unless someone is in the tub with her. We aren't really sure why this is and her brother doesn't know why, or he isn't telling if he does know." Mr. Grant slowed to a stop for a light. "Other then that she is a very happy baby. She is crawling, but will take some steps if someone is holding her hands. She can also say momma and bubba, which we found out means bottle, I think that as long as you read to her often her vocabulary will grow quickly." Sara sighed, she had a long road a head of her. They pulled onto a side street where Mr. Grant parked the car.

"The middle child is Owen and he is four, for some reason he doesn't speak." They ran across the street to a large office building.

"He can't?"

"No, he can, apparently he does in his sleep. He just doesn't say anything when he's awake. According to the older boy, Jeremy, he has been like this for quite some time. Perhaps there was some trauma? I don't know, he is behind in development as is the older boy, they are both quite short for their ages and quite thin, although now that I see you maybe their build is hereditary. Owen is happiest when he is playing with his toy cars; he won't sit for stories except for at night when he is going to bed. He also is a fairly finicky eater, won't eat any meat at all." Sara laughed in response to that comment about her nephew.

"I'm a vegetarian, so that's not a problem for me," she responded to his confused look.

"Oh!" he chuckled, "that's a good thing then." He ushered her through the door to his office, past his secretary.

"What about the Jeremy?" She had a feeling Mr. Grant had left him for last for a reason.

"Well, that's the tricky part," He sighed, worried. "The younger children are, for the most part, easygoing children, but Jeremy...Jeremy is not an easy child." He handed Sara a fairly thick folder that contained her nephew's entire school history. She looked up, surprised.

"This is his file? He's only thirteen, only a seventh grader!" Sara was becoming increasingly worried about her brother's children. It seemed he hadn't been doing a good job.

"Jeremy has a fairly severe case of ADHD, according to his records, he is on 20 mg of Concerta daily, which is the second highest dosage, but it looks like he was just switched to this drug so they don't know how it is affecting him yet. He is attending school for half-days right now, because he can't handle being with others more than that, or concentrate during lots of noise. He really is a bright student he just has problems focusing and making the correct decisions for himself. A one-on-one type of schooling situation would be really good for him I think." Sara looked at the lawyer in shock; she didn't know that a little boy could have so many psychological problems so early in life. She hadn't even looked into schools around the area before she came to Portland, she didn't think that it would be a difficult task, but now she was reconsidering. She already knew that she needed a new place to live. Her apartment was only a two bedroom and with three new occupants they definitely needed a bigger home. Her search parameters would now be altered to be close to a specialized school for her nephew. This was way more involved than she had anticipated, but surprisingly she didn't feel as overwhelmed as she thought she would.

"Well I have plenty of vacation time stored up and I looked up the qualifications for maternity leave and adoption qualifies so I could also get six months off for that as well." Sara shifted in her seat at the thought of maternity leave. She had never considered having any children and now here she was sitting in the beige office of her older brother's lawyer discussing taking three children into her care.

"Cheryl will be happy to hear that, I'm sure," at Sara's confused look he elaborated. "Even though we don't do a home study in cases like this we still look into the background of the adoptive parent, and the time that they can spend with the children, especially in a case like this one where the children have just lost their parents. Actually, she will be joining us shortly."

"Can you tell me whether all three children belonged to my brother and his girlfriend or if they had different mothers or were adopted by my brother." Sara shifted in her chair making herself more comfortable knowing she was going to be in it for a while.

"Trisha was the mother of the younger two children Owen and Olivia and was in the car with your brother during the accident. Jeremy's mother left shortly after his diagnosis. Chris said it was too much for her to handle. They all get along fairly well though. Jeremy likes to think of himself as the protector of the other two and as the oldest child that is understandable," Sara smiled at that, glad that the children had a good relationship. The relationship she had with her brother had been strained at best especially with him being so much older then she was. A knock sounded on the door and a small round woman bustled in.

"Ah! You must be Miss Sidle!" This woman was far to cheerful for Sara.

"Yes, that's me," she replied nodding and taking the woman's proffered hand.

"Great! I'm Cheryl Joffrey and I'm your niece and nephews' social worker. I'm so happy that we found you I was really worried that the children would be separated or that we wouldn't find a home for them, but low and behold the Sidle gene continues in Las Vegas." She reached into her briefcase and pulled out a thick manila folder. "I have some forms that you need to sign and I have Jeremy's medical records so that you can continue his treatment in Las Vegas. Then when we're done with that I'll bring you the kids!"

By the time the woman was done Sara's eyebrows seemed to have reached her hairline. This woman went a mile-a-minute giving her the distinct feeling she'd better hold onto her seat!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks to my betas Kes and Cheryl!! I have been getting a few comments that Grissom seems cold, well he's kinda supposed to at the moment. I hope you stick with me because I have big plans for them! 

Chapter 3

Sara had finally finished all the paperwork that needed to be signed and now she was impatiently waiting for them to be brought to Mr. Grant's office. Ms. Joffery was going to head down to get them, but her colleague called and said that she would bring them by instead, so Sara had to deal with the woman for an additional half hour while waiting for her new charges. It seemed to drag on forever.

"Jeremy is such a sweet boy, he thinks so much of his younger brother Owen, but he could take or leave Olivia, but she's a girl and pretty small so that is understandable. Ooo, but that little girl is so adorable! She looks a bit like you would have at that age I'd guess. Curly brown hair and dark eyes and she even has a cute little gap between her baby teeth." Sara ran a hand over her slightly wavy hair.

Sara enjoyed hearing about her niece and nephew but the woman hardly mentioned Owen and it was beginning to concern her. The niggling sensation in the back of her mind really became stronger when Sara asked about him and Mrs. Joffrey didn't have much to say. "Well, Owen is a quiet boy. He keeps pretty much to himself and I'm sure that Mr. Grant told you that he won't talk. Not a word to anyone, including his brother and sister!" The door creaked open and Sara saw the small head of a boy peak around the corner, he tilted his head and inspected his aunt. Sara looked over taking in the boy's features. He was small and thin, his skin was pale, paler than her own in fact and she hardly ever saw daylight, what had this child's life been like up to this point?. His features were similar to her brother's when he was a child, but his eyes were a bright blue and held a small sparkle. His hair was buzzed down on his head, giving no hint as to anything other than the typical Sidle brown. Maybe, she contemplated, when it was longer it would be curly like her own and Olivia's.

Ms. Joffery jumped up excitedly when she saw him. "Owen!" No wonder the boy didn't speak, Sara thought. "Owen, this is your auntie, she is going to care for you now,"

Ugh...? Auntie...? Sara was going to have to kill this woman.

"Hi, Owen. I'm Sara and I'm your Daddy's sister."

The little boy straightened up at the mention of his father and his face started to crumble into tears.

Sara quickly moved to the boy and gathered him into her arms. "Oh, no sweetie, I didn't mean for you to cry. It's ok. I'm going to take care of you now," his tears slowed and he snuffled into Sara's neck, she had a feeling that he didn't yet understand why his father wasn't there to care for him, but someone was and that seemed to help. The door opened again and a woman pushed a second boy forward and followed him in carrying her niece.

"Miss Sidle, this is my colleague Mary Andrews and this," Mrs. Joffery said taking the little girl. "Is your niece, Olivia." Sara stood with Owen in her arms and reached a hand out to Olivia who grabbed a hold of Sara's hand with her own. Olivia's skin was light, but not as pale as her brother's, her cheeks had a healthy rosy glow and she smiled happily at Sara showing a gap between her baby teeth. Her hair was still wispy like a baby's and it was light brown in color, her eyes were a chocolate brown with long eyelashes around them. Unfortunately the girl didn't have a lot of baby fat on her, making Sara worry more about her brother's parenting skills.

"Momma!" cried the little girl and Sara's eyebrows shot up.

"That's not your mom Olivia," countered the boy next to Ms. Andrews. "She's our aunt, she'll be caring for you now." Sara turned to the boy and smiled at him.

"You must be Jeremy? I'm Sara," she said now offering him her free hand, which he limply took.

"You live in Las Vegas right?" At the older boy's question Sara looked over to him and took in his appearance. He was very small for his age, maybe only 4'9 and 60 pounds. His hair was also the familial Sidle brown and had been cut very similar to his brother. There was a bald patch on one side punctuated by a scar. His eyes were hazel and no longer held the sparkle a young boy should have. His clothes were worn and hung off his thin frame. Sara didn't think that her nephew had been given a lot of opportunities in his life, but she was determined to change that anyway she could.

"Yes, I do."

"Well how often will I get to visit them?" The young boy asked.

Sara was confused.

"Visit who?"

"My brother and sister." Sara looked at him oddly and then turned to Ms. Joffery.

"What is he talking about?"

"Well, we told Jeremy that with his history, that well, maybe you would only want to take the younger two children, that you wouldn't want him." She said nervously picking at her necklace.

"What!" Sara gasped in anger and disbelief. She gently set the sleeping Owen down on the chair she'd vacated earlier and moved to Jeremy. "I would never abandon you like that Jeremy, just because you have some problems doesn't mean I don't want you." She knelt down to his level, which made her realize how small he really was, and looked him in the eye. "I am going to find a great school for you where you can flourish ok? I want the best for all three of you."

"Oh." A look of tempered surprise crossed the young boy's face. Sara stood and grabbed Ms. Joffery by the arm and tugged her to a corner.

"Why would you tell him that? What gives you any right to make that kind of an assumption about me?"

"Jeremy has problems; most people don't want to deal with that type of thing." She was defiant in her words.

"Everyone has problems, that doesn't mean they should be ignored or thrown to the side! When can we leave, I want them out of this environment now." Sara checked to see if her anger had scared any of the children, but instead was faced with two pairs of curious eyes.

"You can leave at anytime Miss Sidle, their things are in the other room." Sara nodded and woke Owen to get him ready to go. She then took Olivia and ushered them to the other room. Grabbing Olivia's bag, she asked Jeremy to grab both his own and Owen's and then they were off, a new family ready to conquer the world.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks to the greatest betas in the world Kes and Cheryl!!

Chapter 4

Grissom sat in his office rubbing his temples to stave off a migraine, not that it would help. At this point his own recriminations were causing him almost as much physical pain, as his head was. It had been two full days since he had stormed out of Sara's apartment and he was still regretting his behavior, but he was at a loss as to what to do about it.. There was a pretty clear message in the fact that he hadn't heard from her either' and despite his reluctance to admit it even to himself, he was wondering how things were going with her and her brother's lawyer.

He had no reasonable excuse for acting the way that he had. Yet in the back of his mind he was still irked…hurt… angry…. They were, after all, in a serious relationship and she had made a huge decision without consulting him. Though to be honest with himself he really hadn't give her the chance, and possibly her reaction itself had been a knee jerk one. Grissom genuinely liked children and enjoyed spending time with them, but he really liked giving them back at the end of the day when they were hyped up on sugar. He was always glad to know that it was Catherine that had to put Lindsey to bed after he had spent the day with her.

He and Sara had discussed children, albeit a while ago, and it had been a fairly short conversation, mainly him telling her that he didn't want any kids and her agreeing. After that there had been much less talking as the focus had shifted to other, more carnal issues. From that point on they hadn't talked about children again. This is why her immediate acceptance of her brother's children had seemed almost like a betrayal.

Grissom shook his head, he simply couldn't be a good father, he was far too old and very set in his ways. He had no patience with children, and was more than a little terrified of being responsible for one for any length of time. These had all been intelligent and valid reasons for him to leave. Yet he'd come to the painful conclusion only after leaving, and only after two days of self analysis that he loved Sara too much to throw everything away.

'Maybe I should call her,' the thought clamored around in his head only adding to the chaos already housed in there. Absently, he reached for another file.

Sara opened the door to her hotel room and nudged the kids in a head of her. Olivia was asleep on her hip so she moved to the crib that had been placed in the room and lay her down. She then dug in the little girl's bag to see if there was a blanket. Finding only some clothes and a few empty bottles so she had to improvise with a pillowcase as a blanket for the girl. She would pick one up later.

Owen yawned, rubbed his eyes and then walked to Sara with his arms in the air, a silent request to be picked up. Sara easily obliged him by scooping him up and tucking him onto her hip. Immediately, comforted he quickly nuzzled his head in her neck and shut his eyes, within moments he was drifting off into dreamland.

Jeremy went over to one of the beds and sat on the end, a bored look plastered on his face.

"I don't suppose you want to take a nap?" she asked Jeremy not really expecting that he would.

"Um, no not really." Was his only response. He stared at his feet pensively one sneaker clad toe digging into the brightly patterned carpet.

"Well you can watch TV if you want to, but keep it low though so you don't wake the rest of us, alright?"

"You're going to take a nap, too?" he asked surprised.

"I haven't slept since yesterday morning." She told him, exhaustion lacing her words. "So I need some sleep and I thought I would sleep when these two are sleeping. I'm a little like a vampire. I work nights normally and sleep during the day. I'm usually asleep about now."

"Ok. Sure you don't mind if I watch TV?"

"Nope go right a head. Oh, when do you take your pill?" The boy sighed and grabbed the remote.

"Not until tomorrow morning," he mumbled.

"Ok, do you know where they are?" Sara asked, at the same time settling a sleeping Owen on one side of the bed. Then she kicked off her shoes and lay down next to him.

"Yeah. I can handle it, ok?" Jeremy was beginning to get irritated. He still didn't know this woman and wasn't completely comfortable with her. Of course he wasn't completely comfortable with anyone. He began to flip through the channels.

Ok, I trust you. I just wanted to make sure." She tossed a small smile his way. "I'm new at this you know." Sara reminded him and settled further onto the bed and her eyes shutting almost immediately. .

Jeremy thought that his aunt was crazy. His dad and Trisha could hardly handle the two O's How was she going to do it? And what was with her wanting him to go to a special school. He wasn't stupid he just needed help concentrating. That's why he was on the pills. Didn't she understand that? He kept flipping through the channels until he found an episode of SpongeBob Squarepants on the Cartoon Network. That would keep him busy for a while.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Things are hectic in RL, I'm trying to get huge portfolio done so I can student teach next fall and next spring and then Graduate next May, so my posts may be a little bit more spaced then they have been sorry.

THANK YOU to everyone who has reviewed! That is what keeps me writing! Also thanks to my great betas Kes and Cheryl!

Chapter 5

Sara groaned and woke to a rustling sound coming from across the room. She peeked through one open eye and saw Jeremy digging frantically through his bag. Frustration was painted on his face and he suddenly started throwing things from the bag around the room. What had once been a tidy and perfunctory place was rapidly becoming a war zone.

"Hey! What's going on?" Sara shook her sleep fogged head and sat up in bed. Glancing beside her she ran a gentle hand over that softly snoring child that lay curled into his pillow. Owen was still fast asleep, and showed little sign of waking.

"Somebody stole my DS! It's not here!" Jeremy was yelling now both frantic and angry.

"Hey, calm down." Sara carefully stood and walked over to where he was digging through his bag. "What is it that you are looking for?"

"My Nintendo DS and my game!" He huffed loudly, his face flushed with exertion.

"Well is it in your brother's bag?" Sara reached into Owen's bag and started going through it. She had needed to do this anyway to find out what the kids had, but hadn't intended on doing it whilst looking for Jeremy's game. Her hand hit something smooth and hard, she pulled out the slim black system from Owen's bag. "Is this it?" She asked dangling the object in front of the boy.

"Yes!" He quickly grabbed the game from her and plopped on the floor turning it on.

"You're welcome," Sara said grinning at the boy.

"Oh, sorry, thanks Sara." He pulled the charger out of his own bag and plugged it into the wall then into the system. "I need this to calm down."

"You aren't calm now?" She stared at him curiously, hoping that by studying his behavior she would get the point where she would know simply by glancing at him, how he was feeling.

"Not really." He left it at that.

"Well I'm sorry that you aren't calm, but I'm glad that something can help. I thought your medication was supposed to help with that." She moved over and sat next to him on the floor watching him play his game.

"It does, sometimes, it depends on the day and what is going on. If I have something else to concentrate on it helps though, when I feel closed off in my space." He didn't even look at her, his attention fully riveted on the item in his hands.

"Jeremy, where I live right now isn't very big. Only two bedrooms, you'll have to share with Owen for a while. Is that going to be ok?"

"Yeah, the three of us shared a room at dad's. You ever played this game?" He asked quickly redirecting the conversation.

Sara sensed his father was still a tentative subject for him. The fact that he was dead had to be thoroughly traumatic, though she wasn't sure as to the nature of their relationship. Her brother had never been one to be terribly responsible, or outwardly affectionate. She shook her head slowly. "No, I'm not good at video games."

"Oh," he seemed disappointed.

"Maybe you can teach me, though. Okay?" She asked trying to raise his spirits. He seemed almost as if he was in a manic state at the moment and she really didn't want to see him hit bottom anytime soon.

"Really? That would be cool." He turned back to his game and was immediately and thoroughly engrossed.

Sara stood and headed back to the bed and at that moment Olivia decided to make her presence known.

"Bubba!" she cried for a bottle.

"Hey darling, did you have a good nap?" Sara asked the babbling girl and reached into her bag and pulling out the remaining bottle. She then pulled Olivia out of the crib and sat with her on the bed next to Owen who was still in dreamland.

"Bubba!" Cried Olivia eagerly grabbing the bottle from Sara's hands proceeding to drink it down.

"This is the last one kiddo. I think we are going to have to make a run to the store before our flight tonight." While Sara had been waiting for the children at the lawyer's office Mrs. Joffery said that the easiest way to get them to Las Vegas would be to fly, so Sara quickly booked the three tickets. Olivia was still young enough to be allowed to sit on Sara's lap for the flight, which saved her the unnecessary cost of a fourth ticket.

Jeremy looked up from his game. "We are flying?"

"Yup, our flight is leaving in about three hours actually."

"Oh," the boy seemed a bit concerned.

"Have you flown before, Jeremy?" Olivia was contentedly resting her body against Sara's chest as she sucked the last bit of milk from the bottle. Sara's hands unconsciously moved to the little girls hair and she carefully stroked her soft curls.

"No, I've never even seen a plane before. Up close I mean."

"Well, then you are in for a treat, flying can be fun." This time Sara was lucky enough to get seats on an exit row where there would be a little more room, but Jeremy was going to be across the aisle from them. "You will be in the same row as us, but you will be across the aisle. Is that ok?"

"I'll still be near you and Owen?" By this time he had shut off his game and had moved closer to where Sara was sitting. His concern was evident on his face.

"Yup. I'll still be able to reach you." Sara replied calming his fears.

"Oh, that should be ok then." He nodded and turned his attention back to the toy in his hands. Carefully, removing a soft pack from his back pocket he shoved the DS system inside of it and stuffed the whole thing into his bag.

Suddenly a rotten smell made its way through the room.

"Oh! You little Miss Stinky!" Sara laughed holding the girl out from her body. Olivia just giggled and waved the empty bottle her brother's way. Sara stood then lay the little girl down on the bed. Jeremy was quick to hand her a diaper and wipes. "No powder?" Sara asked, and he just shook his head no. She removed the little girl's pants and then pulled the tabs on the diaper unveiling her present. "This is lovely Miss Olivia, just lovely." The girl just laughed again. Sara cleaned her bottom and removed the diaper, but before she could put on the new one the baby was off across the bed giggling all the way. Sara laughed in response as she grabbed the girl's leg and pulled her back to where she was standing, and a slight tussle ensued. Sara won, but she knew her victory would be short lived.

"Oh no miss, we aren't done yet." She quickly finished diapering the girl, but was unable to put her pants back on before she was off again. Sara just shook her head and let her go. Placing a fresh pair of pants on the bed and shoving the dirty ones into a separate pocket, she started repacking the bags, instructing Jeremy to do the same with his own.

Owen was soon sitting up and watching his aunt busily packing his bag. She smiled at the boy and pulled out two cars from it. "These are for later," she told him and placed them in her purse for the flight. This time she was going to have to check some things because there were far too many bags to bring on board. Plus dealing with all the bags as well as carrying the children would be a task she knew she wasn't up to.

"Hey, buddy." Sara said winking at Owen. "Are you ready to get going?" He scooted to the end of the bed then walked into the bathroom.

Sara grinned, at least she only had to deal with one child in diapers.

A few minutes later they were ready to go to the store, where Sara needed to pick up some formula for Olivia as well as a diaper bag and a couple other things to keep the kids amused during the flight to Vegas.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Being sick sucks!!!!! Especially when you are super busy like me. Sorry this is late. I don't know when the next installment will be hopefully by Friday.

Thank you SO much to everyone who has reviewed it means the world to me. I always go yelling to my husband "Someone reviewed!" His response is usually "Huh?" but that's ok, it makes me happy.

One more thing GO TWINS!!!!!

Chapter 6

Sara settled into her seat on the airplane making sure that she had a solid grasp of Olivia. Owen, was not thrilled to be on a plane, so with a pat on the head, she'd belted in the unimpressed boy and passed him a small toy. If the trip to the store was any indication the flight to Las Vegas was going to be quite an experience for Sara. Her gaze moved across the aisle to Jeremy, he was just settling in.

Watching silently she threw him a small smile as he reached into his pack and grabbed his video game. He was about to turn it on when a steward came by and let him know that he couldn't use it.

"But, Sara said I could." He replied defending himself.

"Oh, you can, but not until we're in the air. If you use it now it may affect the pilot's instruments." Jeremy sighed and angrily shoved it back into his pocket.

"It won't be long before you can use it Jeremy, just hang on," Sara soothed him.

The boy shifted nervously in his seat and played with his seatbelt, his eyes dropping to his hands.

"It's a short flight and before you know it we'll be in Nevada." This fact seemed to interest him as he had never been in another state before.

"Is it really a desert?" he asked, his attention now focused on his pseudo-mother.

"Most of it is. There are some mountains though, and Lake Mead. I see a lot of the city through with what I do, so I don't get to explore Nevada all that much. Maybe we can do it together."

He nodded silently.

"It's really hot during the summer days, but cools off a bit at night, not a lot in the summer but in the winter it gets pretty cool." Sara continued her narrative, her slim fingers gently twirling Olivia's hair.

"No snow, though right?"

"Nope, no snow. Do you like snow?"

"Eh, not really." By this point Owen had his head resting against Sara's arm and his thumb firmly in his mouth, while staring out the window. Olivia had happily fallen asleep on Sara's lap and they were taxiing down the runway getting ready for take off. As the nose lifted into the air Jeremy applied a death grip to the armrests of his seat. Clearly he was unprepared for the sensation, Owen clamped his hands over his ears as they popped with the rise in altitude. Sara lifted the armrest between herself and Owen and he squeezed himself as close as he could into her side. She then used her then free hand to wrap around him and rub his left ear to try to ease the pain she knew he was feeling.

"It's ok," she soothed, trying to get both boys to calm down. "We'll level off soon, it'll be ok." Tears silently made their way down Owen's cheeks and he just pushed his face into Sara's side.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Grissom stood in his kitchen nursing a glass of scotch staring blankly at the wall behind his visitor. He still hadn't heard from Sara, but wasn't all that surprised. He had made his feelings known, but now was regretting every word that had tumbled from his mouth. All that was left to do now, was to come up with a solution.

"You should call her," his eyes focused on Greg who was sitting at his dining room table, sipping at a beer.

"She'd hang up on me." He sighed and joined the younger man at the table, taking the bottle of scotch with him.

"I don't think she would. She was hurt by what you said, but she loves you and I think she would forgive you. Plus she needs you."

Grissom looked curiously at his confidant. He was the only one in their circle that knew that he and Sara were together and that was only because he's run into them one day coming off the roller coaster at the Adventuredome. He'd been happy to keep their secret and they had even gone on a few double dates with him and his girlfriend Annette. So when this problem arose it was only natural for Grissom to go to him when he needed a sounding board.

"I can't be a dad, Greg."

Greg's jaw dropped, THAT's what this was about? He was shocked.

"What?"

"My dad died when I was a boy. I am a total introvert and completely involved in my work and my bugs. That doesn't make good father material."

"Hello! What the hell have you been to all of us for the past forever? To me especially!" Disbelief edged his voice.

"Um, a boss?" Greg looked like he was going to knock Grissom upside the head.

"No Griss. A father. You have taught and nurtured us and you've helped us all grow so much. Except for now cause you are being a moron!"

Grissom looked taken aback and Greg wondered if he had gone too far with his statement.

"But you are all adults and if I got tired of you I could send you home or fire you if need be. I can't fire these kids!"

"No, but you can ground them or send them to their rooms if you have to, but one of them will be in school and the other two are pretty little Griss. I think you could handle it fine, especially with Sara there as their mom."

"I don't know, Greg." Greg just smiled and patted his shoulder.

"I do. Now Sara's plane lands in a half a hour. You better go get her." There was a smirk plastered all over his face. He was supposed to pick Sara up but Grissom would be the better choice.

"Uh"

"Come on, if you don't leave now you'll be late so get going."

Grissom gave Greg a glare but got up and grabbed his jacket; and glad that he hadn't finished his drink, he hustled out the door.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: This one is a little short, but I think you'll like it. Thanks to my betas Kes and Cheryl, they are goddesses. On a real life note, I picked the color of my bedroom. Woohoo!!

Chapter 7

The descent into Las Vegas was quite an experience for Sara. About halfway through the flight Olivia woke up and needed entertaining so whilst Jeremy was fully immersed in his game through most of the flight and Owen had drifted off so Sara had time to play with the young girl. But landing was something else.

Since she had slept through takeoff Olivia hadn't experienced the change in air pressure his was advantageous Sara realized, because as they were landing she ended up screaming because her ears were hurting so badly. The looks from the other passengers showed Sara they weren't thrilled.

Once they landed Olivia's cries died down although the small child had shifted to sniffling into Sara's neck. Owen had woken during his sister's hysterics and was crying a little himself. As they disembarked Sara asked Jeremy to take hold of his brother so he wouldn't get lost in the airport, since she had her hands full with the diaper bag and Olivia.

The young boy had obliged and had his little brother's hand in a death grip.

God I hope Greg's here…. Was Sara's last thought as they stepped off the plane.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Grissom parked the car in the short-term parking then made his way to the baggage claim area where he figured he would be able to pick up Sara. It was the only part of the airport that he could enter without a ticket to wait for her. He soon found which baggage carousel would be carrying the luggage from her plane. He assumed that she would have some luggage since she had three children with her. He took a seat near the claim and waited, his hands clasped together in his lap, and his eyes looking toward the escalator he knew she would come from.

Greg had opened Grissom's eyes to the fact that he truly loved Sara and his heart knew that meant he would accept anything that was now a part of her life, including the children.

He wanted. No he had to be a part of her life.

If that meant he was going to have to be a part of three kids' lives as well - then that was something he would just have to get used to.

Greg seemed to think that he would be an ok father, but he still had his doubts. He'd never had an interest in children, even as a younger man when he was expected to be settling down and making a family. His mother had badgered him for years about finding a nice girl, getting married and giving her some grandchildren. Once he hit forty that had stopped, and she didn't ask about girls in his life anymore. When he told her that he was seeing Sara she'd asked questions about Sara but the topic of children was never brought up. She seemed to be resigned to the fact that her son would never give her grandchildren.

A loud beeping sound alerted Grissom to the fact that luggage was starting to come onto the carousel, his eyes perked up, and he began to search the crowd for Sara's familiar face.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Sara slowly navigated through the crowd with the children. Olivia was happily looking around now and grinning at everyone she saw. Owen had resorted to riding on his brother's shoulders and seemed to be enjoying it as every so often he let out a toothy smile. Jeremy seemed to be just taking everything in, he had never been in a crowd of so many people before and it unnerved him a bit so he always kept Sara in view.

They made their way to the escalators that would take them to the baggage claim and rode down them swiftly. Determined she headed toward a screen that listed the planes and the carousel number that went with them. She soon found their flight and started weaving her way toward it's carousel.

It was beginning to get more and more crowded as they got closer so Sara slowed up and slung the diaper bag higher on her shoulder. Then she grabbed Jeremy's free hand, as Owen continued to ride on his shoulders, and hoped this would help to keep them all together.

As they moved closer the other passengers were bumping into one another and then suddenly, like the parting of the Red Sea the four of them were able to get through. Much to Sara's surprise there, waiting at the claim, stood Grissom with their bags already at his feet.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I haven't been to Henderson or any of the other Las Vegas suburbs but I have been to Summerlin so that's where Sara lives. Sorry this took so long to get posted, I've been busy and was being evil.

Chapter 8

Sara slowly walked to where Grissom was standing with their things, a look of utter surprise evident on her face. His own face broke into a small smile as the four came closer to where he was.

"Grissom?" Her face betrayed her surprise.

"Hey…" His words were almost hesitant. Their parting had been painful for both of them and he knew he had a lot to make up for. "I got your bags already. I thought that would be quicker."

"Um, what...what are you doing here? I thought Greg was going to pick me up. I called him and he picked up..."

Grissom cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"The seats are in my car, and I wanted to pick you up." He smiled tentatively at her, then at the boys.

Olivia was definitely uncertain about the man standing in front of her, she had a death grip on Sara's shirt. There was no way she was going to that man!

"Well, uh...thanks Grissom."

Grissom wasn't used to hearing Sara call him that when they were together, for the longest time Gil had been saved for their private moments. The formality of it shocked him, but he wasn't going to push things.

Sara finally realized that she hadn't introduced the kids to him. "This is Olivia in my arms and this is Jeremy and he's carrying Owen."

Owen gave Grissom a toothy smile obviously not as worried about the strange man as his little sister was.

Jeremy just nodded his head and then dropped his eyes to his shoes, appearing to study them intently.

"It's nice to meet you all," He started gathering their bags up. "We should get going or we'll hit rush traffic."

Sara nodded silently and they all headed for the exits. Olivia's hold had loosened up a little bit now that they were walking and Grissom's back was to her, but she was still uncertain about the grey haired man.

They were soon at the car and while Grissom loaded the bags into the back Sara situated Olivia into her seat and belted her in. Before she pulled away to get Owen she blew a raspberry on the girl's cheek getting a squeal and giggle out of the small child. The squeal startled Grissom at first, but then he saw the girls laughing and secretly enjoyed watching Sara be a mom to these children. She had obviously made a connection in the two days that they had been together and she looked happy. In fact, she looked more contented than Grissom had ever seen her. Despite his initial reaction it dawned on him that he enjoyed seeing her this happy, and perhaps these children were a good thing after all.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

The group of five headed down the highway toward Sara's apartment. Olivia had fallen asleep soon after they started moving, Owen was contentedly staring out the window watching the buildings pass by, the drone of the truck lulling him.

Jeremy was also watching the scenery, but a moment later he turned to his aunt.

"Hey, Sara?" He called from the backseat.

"What's up Jeremy?" She asked turning to look at him and flashing him a glowing smile.

"You said we needed supplies and things, are we going to be stopping somewhere or are we going straight to your house?"

"I think we're going to go to my place then we can head back out later. I want to get out of Grissom's hair first, I'm sure he has things to do." She replied giving Grissom a sidelong glance.

"Actually, I have tonight off. So if you need help I'm here." Sara looked at him as if he had grown an additional head and perhaps a few antennae.

"Oh, well it would be easier to have a second adult along with these three," she winked at Jeremy.

"I am to please. So where to Ms. Sidle?" Grissom responded in kind.

Sara looked out the window to see where they were and realized they were already pretty close to where she lived in Summerlin so she settled on Target near her apartment for now.

"Just take the exit for my place," Grissom nodded and took the appropriate exit. "Let's hit Target first. I can get a crib and a toddler bed there I think. Most of the other things I need I can get here too." Grissom swung the Tahoe into the parking lot and found a place a little ways from the entrance that way they would be able to load easily.

Sara quickly got out and unbuckled Olivia from her seat, she was still sleepy so she shut her eyes and rested her head on Sara's shoulder. Jeremy climbed out after she pulled out Olivia and Grissom grabbed Owen from his booster seat. The young boy seemed comfortable with the stranger who now held him, his small fingers curiously inspecting Grissom's ear.

Sara led the way, fully ready to conquer Target - oddly enough with Grissom by her side.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I would like to send a prayer out to all those that lost a loved one in the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech, it's a horrible thing that has happened and my thoughts and prayers are with those that are injured and have lost their lives.

Thank you everyone for all your reviews. They aren't 'together' yet though. You'll see.

Chapter 9

Sara walked through the doors of Target, grabbed a cart, placed Olivia into the seat and buckled her in. The small child started looking around excitedly taking in all the sights and sounds.

Grissom followed with a reluctant Owen in his arms, he grabbed a second cart and placed the four year old into the seat. During the belting in of his siblings, Jeremy had wandered over to the electronics section that was right by the door as you come into the store. Sara walked over with her cart, to find out what he was up to.

"Hey, what are you looking at," she asked Jeremy who was wandering in the cd's.

"Not much, just looking." The slim boy barely even turned to acknowledge his aunt, his eyes still roaming the racks.

"Okay, well we're going to head to the toddler section to pick up things for your brother and sister." She glanced at her watch, "meet us there in twenty minutes okay? Then we will pick out your things."

Jeremy shrugged his shoulders, "Okay. I don't need anything though." His voice was soft and tentative.

"Hon, your clothes are really worn out and you don't have very much. I want to get you some things here and then we'll run across to Foot Locker and get you some shoes. How does that sound?"

"Okay," he tried to seem disinterested in the fact that he was going to be getting new things, but it really made him excited. A small smile broke across his face.

Grissom and Sara headed to the toddler section with the two O's to get them started for their life with Sara.

Sara started in the aisle with sippy cups and other necessities while Grissom took Owen too look at some clothes.

Sara slowly started through the aisle picking out cups, bibs and other necessities that Olivia would need. She grabbed some bigger sippy cups for Owen as well as a few other items that she thought he would need. She then headed down the diaper aisle only to find herself a bit stumped.

There were a bunch of different kinds and sizes she really didn't know where to start. Finally she saw that they were sized by the weight of the child so she guess Olivia's weight and grabbed the diapers that closely matched her guess.

Her cart was really beginning to fill up and they weren't close to being done yet. She meandered over to the furniture section where she saw a beautiful wooden crib that turned into a toddler bed then a twin bed. She thought it would be perfect for Olivia, now she just needed to find a toddler bed for Owen and someone to haul them to the front for her.

During this time Grissom had pulled Owen out of his seat and was holding various articles of clothing in front of the boy trying to get a size estimate. He seemed to be about a 3T, whatever that meant, Grissom really wasn't sure. He went about asking the little boy if he liked the items as he placed them in the cart, but all he got was a cursory nod or two.

His own cart was starting to fill and Grissom quickly grabbed a few packages of underoos and socks for Owen before heading to the furniture, where he found Sara admiring a wooden crib combo.

"How's it going?" He asked glancing into her overflowing cart.

"I think I'm buying out the store, and I haven't even gotten to the clothes for her yet. Did you find some things for Owen?"

"Yup, he wasn't very helpful though," Grissom joked tweaking the boy's nose. Owen just giggled, a far cry from the untrusting boy he'd met at the airport.

"She's not much help either," Sara remarked pointing at the baby girl with the teething ring in her mouth. "She's getting in some more teeth so I thought I'd give her the ring. I wiped it down with a wetnap first though."

Grissom chuckled, Sara was already very overprotective. Jeremy walked up to them his hands in his pockets.

"Hey, buddy." said Sara. "Do you think you can find an employee for me, we need to get them to move one of these cribs to the front for us."

"Sure," Jeremy nodded happy to do something, wandering off to an area where he'd seen someone wearing the company's smock.

Grissom started looking at the toddler beds, trying to find one the little boy might like.

"Did you pick a toddler bed for Owen yet?" he asked.

"No, I can't decide," she pointed to a white one. "I like that one, but I wanted to find something that converted into a twin bed."

"Well you could just get two of the cribs you are getting for Olivia. We can turn it into a toddler bed right away."

"I was thinking that too, but I want them to have different things. I think they shared a lot before and I don't want them to have to share everything." She smiled at the little boy and patted his soft hair.

Grissom nodded in agreement, understanding where Sara was coming from and wandered down the aisle a bit.

While Grissom was looking at the beds Owen stood up in his seat and leaned over reaching for a light blue bed with bugs on it.

"Woah!" Grissom yelled noticing the boy's precarious position. "Owen, don't stand up!" He quickly sat the boy back down and belted him in. Owen kept reaching for the blue bed though. "Hey, Sara?"

"Yeah," she said walking toward Grissom and Owen.

"I think Owen has picked his bed."

"Oh really?" She asked arching an eyebrow.

"Yup," Grissom replied with a grin and pointed at the blue bed with bugs.

"You're kidding," she said squinting at him curiously. "Honestly Gris, did you pick it or did he?"

"Nope. Don't look at me, he almost fell out of the cart reaching for it."

Sara shrugged her shoulders. "All right, if that's what he wants." Jeremy was back with an employee who had a cart to move the crib and toddler beds.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Yup, we need that wooden crib on the end and this toddler bed with the bugs on it." Grissom indicated their choices.

They moved out of the way as the employee loaded the beds on the cart. He then handed Sara the UPC codes for both beds.

"Just have your cashier scan these at the front, then have someone call for a carryout. I'll take these to the doors." The skinny young man, who looked barely out of diapers himself, nodded then disappeared down the aisle.

"Thanks," Sara replied happy to have the beds taken care of. Now all that was left was to get clothes for Olivia and Jeremy. "Grissom?"

Grissom was playing with Owen, trying to get him to talk and Jeremy was watching his brother laugh with the grey-haired man.

"Yup," he said turning from the boy.

"Can you take Jeremy to the boys' section and get him some clothes? I need to pick out some things for Olivia."

"Sure, that's fine." he replied. "Come on Jeremy, let's get you some clothes." He headed toward the boys' section with Jeremy slowly following behind him.

The eldest of Christopher Sidle's children was still a little unsure about the man, but was slightly comforted by the fact that Sara seemed to trust him. Sara headed to the toddler girls section to load up on clothes for Olivia.

Forty-five minutes later they were leaving Target their carts laden with purchases and the young man from earlier hauling the beds behind them. They quickly loaded up the Tahoe with their haul and then walked over to the Foot Locker to get some shoes for the boys. They had grabbed a pair of sandal for each child at Target and had also gotten Olivia a pair of tennis shoes but Sara wanted better tennis shoes for the boys, since they were way more active then their sister.

Soon all their shopping was completed and they were headed toward Sara's apartment, completely exhausted. Sara realized as they pulled up to her building that she forgot to stop at the grocery store, and after unloading they headed back out with two cranky toddlers.

And truth be told two cranky adults, too. Day one and parenthood was already exhausting.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I want to say thanks to everyone at YTDAW for giving us spoilers for so long and I'm sorry that you have gotten into trouble for it. We appreciate ever spoiler we get!!!

This is going to be my last update for a bit RL is really hectic!!!!

Chapter 10

Sara slumped onto the couch with a sigh, it had been an overwhelming day and she was exhausted. Taking care of three children was no drop in the bucket, and she'd had Grissom's help for most of it. On her own, she knew she would be rapidly working her way up a steep learning curve.

The trip to the grocery store didn't go nearly as well as the trip to Target. They had gotten pretty much everything they wanted to get but Olivia stubbornly decided that she needed to walk through the entire store instead of riding in the cart, which only served to make Owen want to do the same As they slowly made their way through the store they needed to watch every move the toddlers made because their little hands got into everything!

By the time they were finished, Sara had a few more things than she had intended in the cart, including a pink stuffed bunny that Olivia wouldn't let go of. Once they arrived back at the apartment they decided to end the evening with pizza because Sara really wasn't in any mood to cook, and all kids like pizza- or so she thought.

Owen picked at his pizza and wouldn't really eat it. Sara finally grabbed some fruit, cut it up and tempted the boy with it. He happily ate the banana and grapes placed in front of him, the pizza pushed far off to the side.

Grissom shook his head at the odd boy; he'd also thought all kids liked pizza.

After dinner the tasks were quickly divided up. Sara got into the tub with Olivia as, the little girl wouldn't bathe alone, while Grissom put together her crib with Jeremy's help.

Owen played with his toy cars on the bathroom floor as Sara bathed Olivia. By the time they were done Grissom was finished with the crib and had started on Owen's toddler bed.

Exhausted, Sara quickly got the tired girl into pajamas and into her crib and then she bathed Owen, who was happy to splash around in the sudsy water.

Thankfully, Owen also went down quickly, and was sound a sleep after only a few minutes of being tucked into his bug bed with the Spiderman sheets on it. Jeremy had placed his new Spongebob sheets on his bed as well. The boys' room wasn't huge but it would work for the time being. Jeremy's bed was on one side and Owen's across from it, a toy box was at the end of Owen's because the smaller bed allowed more space for it, and their clothes were stored in a shared dresser.

Olivia's crib was placed at the end of Sara's bed within easy reach and her clothes were placed in Sara's own dresser. When she found a house she planned on getting new dressers for all the kids, but for now they would have to make do with what was available.

Sara had made wise investments in the past and wasn't worried about her purchases for the children or the down payment on a house. She also knew that with her pay from the lab she would be able to afford the payments for a nice home.

Grissom plopped down on the chair across from Sara's couch, he was as tired as she and he wasn't the one who had traveled from Oregon. He glanced around the living room and smiled at the scattering of children's things. It surprised him to no end that he felt more comfortable around the children with each passing minute, and his confidence was rising at his ability to pseudo-father them.

"Long day," he said with a sigh.

"You're telling me! These kids wore me out," she lay her head on the back of the couch, her eyes dropping shut.

"Well that's what you have me for," replied Grissom.

Sara's head shot up and she looked at him incredulously.

"What?" Disbelief coloring her voice.

"Well, I'm here to help. We have to do this together," he replied shrugging his shoulders.

"What?" Sara said again, shaking her head. "Grissom, two days ago you were furious with me for taking on the responsibility of three children. You stormed out of here without a word and then when I called you proceeded to tell me that I needed to find someplace else for them to live!" Tears formed in her eyes as her anger grew. "That was cold Gil. Now what you just want to jump back into my life and their lives after saying something like that? I thought you were just here because Greg asked you to pick me up, and that he was busy or something. I didn't think you would show up because you felt guilty! But, that's why you are here isn't it?"

"No, Sara! I am here because I love you and I love anything that may come with you now or in the future and that includes those children!" He was beginning to get agitated, didn't she understand?

"How can you change your mind so quickly? These kids aren't your family; you don't have to be here! Is this some sort of gentlemanly duty for you or something? Break the girl's heart when she decides something you don't agree with, but weasel your way back in by being nice, you have a change of heart?" Sara had moved to the kitchen and was standing on the other side of the island her hand resting on it's surface. White knuckles stark against the dark backdrop of the granite countertop.

"No, I love you and I want to be with you." He was up and pacing now.

"You can't just waltz in here like this Grissom unless you are here to stay. It's not just me anymore and you have to make a huge commitment if you plan on being with me now, I don't wan you to take that lightly. Especially for the sake of those children."

"I'm not. I want to be with you, with or without the kids." Grissom was beginning to get a migraine, his fingers animatedly made their way across his forehead and he massaged it carefully.

"I think you need to leave," Sara had spotted Jeremy poking his head out of the bathroom, observing their argument. There was a look of concern on his young face. She didn't want to wake the smaller two with their yelling. That was not the way to start their first night in a new home.

"No, Sara I want to stay here with you." He moved to the counter across from her.

She shook her head while he was speaking.

"No, not tonight. You really need to decide if this is something you can do, because once you're in you can't just leave, Griss. Not this time. I'm not sure what kind of a father my brother was, but I want these children to have the stability his we never had when we were little. They've had a tough time of it, and I don't want to have a revolving door and a sometimes father."

"But..."

She shook her head at him again.

He knew what he wanted. He wanted her, no matter what, but if she wanted him gone for tonight he would go. "Okay, I'll go home tonight, but I'll be back." He walked out the door without another word.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The next week went by quickly for Sara and her charges. She hadn't heard from Grissom since the day she had sent him out of her apartment and she assumed she wouldn't hear from him any time soon, since over the past week he'd made himself completely invisible.

After looking around, and doing a lot of research the day had come for her to get her oldest nephew squared away, at least in the educational department. They had an appointment with what Sara hoped would be Jeremy's new school. The Baleson Academy was set up for students like Jeremy, the class sizes were small and there would be a lot of individualized instruction which would help him succeed, and she figured it was far better than one of the local schools.

The only problem Sara had was that Owen had a bit of a cold and she knew that she couldn't take him or Olivia to the meeting at Baleson.

The first call she had to make was to Greg but he wasn't able to baby-sit. He of course recommended Grissom but Sara was adamant that Grissom had to come to her not the other way around.

After much finagling Sara was finally able to convince Catherine to come over and watch the two toddlers for a couple of hours. Lindsey was at school until 5:00 and Jeremy's meeting was at 1:00 which would give them plenty of time.

The drive over to the school, was to say the least, tense. Jeremy was very quiet and sat with his hands clenched in his lap.

"Are you nervous?"

"Yeah, I don't really like school." He stared out the window absently.

"How come?" She asked glancing at the boy.

"I usually get into a lot of trouble at school." His eyes were solemn.

"I think this school will be different for you Jeremy at least I hope it will." The pulled into the parking lot at the school.

It wasn't a large building but it still looked foreboding to the boy. "Sure..." He mumbled softly.

Sara started toward the building and Jeremy followed reluctantly behind.

As they walked into the building they were immediately greeted by the principal Marlee Tompson.

"Ms. Sidle?" Sara nodded her head and held out her hand to shake Mrs. Tompson's.

"You can call me Sara, and this is my nephew Jeremy." The woman's kind eyes lighted on the boy and she gave him a genuine smile.

"Hello Jeremy, it's great to meet you. I hear you are interested in going to school here?"

"Um, yes. Sara said this was a good school and she would be able to drop me off and pick me up everyday because you start at 9."

"Well that's good we really like parent involvement." She started leading them down the school's hallways, and began an animated tour of the premises.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Catherine was having a pretty good afternoon with the two toddlers. It had been a while since she'd been around truly little kids, and she kind of missed it.

Owen was fast asleep in his bed and Olivia was on the floor in front of the couch playing with some dolls.

She'd spent the better part of her time reading a magazine but had kept a close eye on the toddler in front of her.

Catherine's cellphone chirped on the coffee table, she grabbed it quickly so it wouldn't wake Owen.

"Hello," she responded.

"What? She did what?"Her heart rate began racing as the woman on the other end of the phone began explaining the reason for her call. As it turned out, Lindsey had hit another girl in the face at school and they needed Catherine to come get her because she was being suspended.

"All right I'll be there in a little bit." Catherine hung her head. She didn't want to call Sara and end the interview they were having, so she did the next best thing she called Grissom.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Baleson Academy is of my own creation, it is not real. I don't know if there are schools similar to this in Las Vegas, but one would only hope.

Chapter 12

Grissom was sitting on his couch reading a copy of Social Insects Journal when his cellphone trilled on the coffee table. He reached over and grabbed it, seeing it was Catherine he heaved a sigh and for a moment contemplated not answering it, but he decided against that form of action because knowing the woman as he did, he figured she'd just continue to call.

He sighed again, "Hello, Catherine."

"Ha! I knew you were home. Hey, I need a favor." There was a rustling in the background and Catherine's voice broke across the line, "Uncle Gil, honey."

Clearly the comment hadn't been address to him, which left one question; who was she talking to?

"What do you need me for?" Now his curiosity was piqued.

"Well, I am baby-sitting Owen and Olivia while she and Jeremy are at the Baleson Academy for an interview."

"She found a school for him?" Grissom was hurt she hadn't called, despite the fact she had made it pretty clear it was up to him to make the first step.

"Yup, anyway, Lindsey's school just called and I need to go get her. Something about hitting another girl in the face." There was resignation in her voice, " maybe I should send Lindsey to Baleson."

"Ok?" A sinking feeling to up residence in his stomach. He had a bad feeling about where this conversation was headed. " What do you need me for?" His eyebrow arched even though Catherine couldn't see him.

"Owen is sick with the flu and in bed and Olivia is napping so I can't take the little ones with me so I need you to come over here and watch them while I deal with Lindsey." What she didn't say was that this might include locking the girl in a cage until she turned 20. When Grissom remained silent, she quickly put in. "Sara said she'd be back before five so you will still have plenty of time to sleep before work."

Grissom groaned, "I don't know Catherine, if she'd wanted me there she could have called me to begin with."

"Look, Gil, I really need you to come watch these two. You are the only one available right now who can." Catherine was beginning to get to him.

"Sara and I aren't on the best of terms right now though..."

"When are you?"Catherine asked.

If only she knew.

"Look, I'm desperate. I wouldn't ask if this wasn't important."

"Oh alright I'll come over, give me twenty minutes." He hung up the phone and slowly got to his feet. Maybe this would be all right, maybe this would be the 'in' that he needed to get into Sara's good graces again. Although, picking up the phone to call her a before she'd been forced to call Catheriney for help might have been a good place to start, before hand.

A short time later Grissom was standing in front of Sara's door waiting for Catherine to open it. Finally it swung open revealing Catherine with a sleepy Owen in her arms.

"Hey, Gil," she half whispered. "This guy has been up for a while, but Olivia is still down for her nap. She's only been out about an hour and she should hopefully sleep another hour." She passed the little boy to Grissom. "I really have to go. Thanks again. See you tonight at work."

He nodded his head and let her pass, then after shuffling the small child about in his arms, he shut the door behind her. Owen had curled his head under his neck, and was nestled there with one small hand clutching the collar of his shirt. Walking carefully over to Sara's couch he sat down gently as to not disturb the little boy in his arms.

"How are you doing buddy?" he intoned softly. There was no answer of course, the boy simply rubbed his nose against Grissom's neck further.

This was going to be an interesting afternoon, indeed.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Jeremy was on cloud nine, he loved Baleson Academy. It was completely different from any school he had ever been in. The class sizes were very small so that each student received a lot of individualized attention. They would be studying things he was interested in and they had a great athletics program so he would be able to try out for the baseball team.

Even though the class sizes were small the school had a large number of students, but the student-teacher ratio was around 15:1 rather than usual 35-40:1 that Jeremy had been used at his school in Portland.

Sara was also very pleased with the school, everyone seemed to really care for the student's education and wanted to help students strive and attain their maximum potential.

They had set up Jeremy's schedule and he would be in a contained room for most of the day. The only classes he would have out of that room were PE and mathematics. This wasn't a the way the school year would normally be for the boy, but because there were only a few weeks left of school they decided that this was the best way for them to assess his abilities, and to get him ready for next year - when he would probably be in general education classes for most of the day.

Sara glanced over at the boy while at a stoplight. He was still leafing through the information the principal had given them and was occupied with reading about their sports program. He would be able to try out for the soccer team in the fall and the baseball team next spring, two of his favorite sports. Since he was coming to the school so late in the year he wasn't able to play this year, but Sara hoped to get him into a summer program that Mrs. Tompson had recommended to her.

"Well, what do you think of Baleson?" she asked, though she assumed the answer by the look on his face.

"I liked it! It was completely different from any school I've ever been in and the teachers seemed really nice too. The classes look pretty cool, and the classes are so small!"

She smiled at he nephew's enthusiasm. "I'm so glad you liked it Jeremy. I really hoped this would be someplace you could fit in. Mrs. Tompson also gave me some information about a summer camp that they run. I think you will like that as well."

"A camp? Where at?" He suddenly seemed apprehensive about the idea of a camp.

"At the school. They will take you on field trips and there is a softball team. Not baseball because there is a pretty wide age group that attends the camp and it will be boys and girls, but it's sort of baseball. I think if you gave it a try you might like it, but if you don't we can always take you out ok?"

Jeremy seemed reassured by this. "Ok, that sounds good."

They pulled into a parking spot in front of her apartment building and Jeremy jumped out of the car while Sara gathered up the other things that the principal had given them, She had yet to order him his uniform so she tucked the catalogue under her arm, and grabbed the t-shirt off the seat.

"Hey, Sara?"

"Hmm?" she asked not looking up from her gathering.

"Isn't that Mr. Grissom's car?"


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I thought that the finale was great, other then the fact that Sara is firmly underneath a car. Also I do believe that was JF's hand because it looked like her fingers to me anyway. (Does my recognizing that mean obsession...)

Sorry this took so long to post. RL has been really hectic! Thanks everyone for your wonderful reviews, I owe it all to my Betas Cheryl and Kes. Anyway on with the show!!!

Chapter 13

"What?" Sara said pulling her head quickly from in the vehicle, a muffled "Ahh…" escaped her as she cracked it on the open door frame. Her hand immediately went to the afflicted area and she rubbed it vigorously.

"Are you ok?" Jeremy asked, concerned.

"Yeah, just bumped my head." She smiled gently at the boy and scanned the parking lot squinting against the midday sun. Sure enough there sat Grissom's black Nissan Acura. She knew he favored driving his own vehicle instead of the department issue Denalis when he could get away with it. She looked back into her own vehicle quickly grabbing her bag and then shutting the door. "Come on buddy, lets head up."

"Do you think Owen is feeling any better?" Jeremy asked trailing along beside her.

"I hope so." She ruffled his hair and the two of them headed up the stairs, and entered the apartment quietly.

At first Sara didn't see anyone as she cautiously walked in placing the items from Baleson on the counter.

Jeremy walked further into the apartment looking for his brother. He soon found him with Grissom who was asleep on the floor with his left arm thrown out and Owen using it as a pillow. Olivia slept on his chest with Grissom's other arm securely wrapped around her. It was an unforgettable picture; one worthy of a Kodak moment status.

Sara stood next to Jeremy and was surprised by what she saw. She smiled at Jeremy and had to stifle a giggle, before reaching down and picking up Owen.

The little boy woke as he was lifted and wrapped his arms around Sara's neck giving her a big smile.

"Are you feeling better little man?" Owen nodded happily slid down Sara's body to the floor, and then headed for the toys that were on the other side of the coffee table.

Sara then reached down and picked up Olivia and carried her to her crib. She took a moment in her bedroom to watch Olivia sleep and lovingly rubbed the little girl's tummy as she slept. There was a smile on her face as she turned to leave. Life was definitely going to be different, it already was, but she hadn't expected how quickly her three charges would steal her heart

When Sara came back into the living room Grissom and Jeremy were sitting on the couch and Jeremy was recounting his trip to Baleson. Grissom seemed very interested in what the boy was saying, but still gave Sara a smile as she sat down in a chair near Owen, who was still playing contentedly.

"So when I left Catherine was here, how did you manage to be my babysitter?"

"Something happened with Lindsey at her school. They needed Cath to come pick her up right away, I was the only one available to watch these two. I hope that's not a problem?" Grissom seemed very relaxed in Sara's apartment, almost content.

"Um, no." Her eyes darkened slightly and she looked away. "It's not a problem; I was just surprised that's all." Sara really did not want to get into their impending conversation in front of the boys. Truth be told, she'd been avoiding it altogether that's why she hadn't called. She stood and headed to the kitchen to find something for dinner.

Jeremy immediately started back on his new favorite subject. Sara started putting together some pasta for dinner as well as garlic bread and a salad. As the noodles were simmering she woke Olivia, otherwise the girl would be awake all night.

Olivia was quick to join Owen in his play, much to the chagrin of the little boy. Almost immediately Olivia grabbed a toy car and started playing with it but Owen ripped it from her hand pushing her over slightly, scaring her. Olivia immediately burst into tears. At the sound of the little girl crying Sara ran quickly into the living room to make sure no one had been hurt.

Olivia immediately reached her arms up to her aunt and Sara gathered her into her arms checking for bumps and bruises, finding none she looked to Grissom for an explanation.

Grissom had moved toward the children when Olivia started crying pulling Owen away from his sister.

"What happened?"

"Olivia wanted to play with Owen, but he is opposed to sharing this afternoon I guess. He pulled the car from Olivia's hand and pushed her down." Sara sat on the floor with a sniffling Olivia in her arms. She looked at Owen and took the toy car from his small hand.

"Owen you have to share with your sister. You have a lot of cars Olivia can play with this one."

The boy shook his head no.

"Yes, Owen you have to share or you can sit on your bed for a timeout."

The boy shook his head and a tear slipped down his cheek.

Sara hadn't spoken this way to him before and, it surprised the young boy.

"Ok, then are you going to share?" He nodded and pushed all his cars toward his sister.

Sara smiled at him. "You don't have to give her all your cars, just a couple." Olivia by this time was happily playing with the car that had started all the commotion. Owen pulled back most of his cars and started playing again.

Sara headed for the kitchen, unaware that Grissom had followed her. "He probably acted that way because he's still not feeling well." Grissom commented.

Startled Sara almost dropped the salad she was making.

"God, Griss. don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry," he replied sheepishly.

"I'm sure that is why he reacted that way, but he still needs to learn to share with his sister."

"I know. Um, I think I'm going to get going though. It looks like you are almost ready for dinner." Grissom grabbed his jacket and headed for the door, but a small whirlwind of a boy latched onto his leg. "Owen I have to go home, I'll see you later though ok?" Owen shook his head; Grissom crouched to the boy's level and gave him a hug. "I'll see you later Owen, I promise."

"No, stay,"

They were the first words anyone had heard from the boy while awake and they were asking Grissom to stay.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Wow it's been far too long since I updated. We were on vacation and we had a dog for a while, but had to give her to my parents because my husband was far to allergic to her. So it's been an interesting few weeks.

Thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews, I only hope you like this chapter as well as the last.

Chapter 14

Grissom clutched Owen's waist and pulled him into a hug. Sara's hand was clasped over her mouth in shock and unshed tears glistened threateningly in her eyes. Neither of them could believe that Owen had just spoke.

"Owen, why do you want me to stay?" Grissom gently asked the boy, at the same time leaning back to look into his eyes.

At first it seemed that Owen wasn't going to answer Grissom's question, but after a moment he did, "Like playing with you" He placed a pudgy fist on Grissom's cheek, and announced, "You should stay always."

Grissom looked up at Sara who was no longer able to control her tears.

"Can I stay?" he asked quietly, and all she could do was nod her head in acceptance. "Okay, buddy I'll stay." He ran a hand through the young boy's hair and mussed it. "Will you go play with your sister while I help your aunt make dinner?" The boy quickly nodded his head in agreement and ran toward the living room. All was right in his world again.

Sara choked back a sob and willingly fell into Grissom's arms. "I, just can't believe. I can't believe he finally said something. I thought I'd have to take him to a psychiatrist or something. Thank you Grissom, thank you so much." She beamed and held him tighter. Ignoring how good it felt to have his arms around her again.

Grissom was tentatively running his hands down Sara's back. It felt a lot like coming home to him. But would he be allowed to stay? Permanently? "Do you believe me now?"

She looked at him quizzically; Curiosity masking her tear stained face.

"When I said I was dedicated to you and these children. I still mean that. Do you believe me now?" Blue eyes searched brown hopefully.

"Yeah." She smiled softly, and brushed at the dampness on her cheeks. " I do." They pulled apart reluctantly after sharing a quick kiss then started on dinner.

Not long after, the pseudo family sat had down to a lovely dinner of a salad, spaghetti and garlic bread. The children ate hungrily if not a little messily and both adults sat amazed at how quickly a simple dinner could turn into what looked like one of their messier crime scenes.

Later that evening after the kids had been scrubbed senseless, and were tucked into bed Sara and Grissom settled in on the couch, drinking coffee and talking about the future.

A future that they had both decided, they wanted to spend together.

"Do you still want to find a house?" Grissom asked, a hand rubbing up and down Sara's leg.

"Yeah, I'd like to find something near Jeremy's school and has a room for each of them. I know that is a lot to ask and I'm sure I'll be paying far too much, but I want something that we can all be comfortable in. I want them to have a fresh start. Life with my brother, had been unstable at the best of times, I think." She eyed him speculatively. I want them to feel wanted, and secure."

"I completely understand where you are coming from Sara. I want that for them myself. I have one question though."

"What's that?" she asked concern suddenly slipping across her face.

"Do I get to live in this new fabulous house too?"

Her smile was uncertain. "Are you asking me if you can move in when we move?"

"No I'm asking to be a part of everything." He clasped one slender hand in his. " I mean from searching and deciding on the house to painting and well…everything."

"Oh," She stared at him darkly for a moment feigning uncertainty. Then a smile lit her face. "Well if you want to be a part of everything then I guess I'll have to say: yes…" She giggled and threw her arms around him.

Jeremy listening from his doorway, broke into a great big smile after he heard her answer drift down the hallway.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Ok so I know no one ever reads these but I'd like to still say thanks to all my reviewers and thanks to my two wonderful betas. Also let me know if you want me to keep going and if you would be interested in me writing other things!

Chapter 15

Grissom was now spending a large amount of time at Sara's when he wasn't at work. They were busy looking for a home for the five of them to move into that would accommodate all their needs. Owen and Olivia were thrilled that there was someone else in the house to dote over them as well. Owen was beginning to speak more, but he still kept it to a minimum. Olivia had started calling Sara momma which had thrilled her to no end.

One afternoon Grissom sat on Sara's laptop perusing the internet for houses, while Sara sat on the floor with the children. Olivia was happily perched in her lap hard at work driving one of her brother's cars up and down Sara's arms, while Owen sat close by. He was equally occupied, driving his cars around on a mat of a city with roads on it.

Sara felt that things truly couldn't get any better. Their family was finally beginning to meld beautifully, Grissom was turning into a wonderful father figure, and the kids had begun to settle in once Sara had assured them they wouldn't be uprooted again. She was still pondering the situation when the phone on the desk next to Grissom began to trill loudly. Startled, he

quickly grabbed it up.

"Hello," he had become used to not answering with his last name when at Sara's apartment. "Yes, this is Gil Grissom."

Sara had added Grissom's name to guardian of Jeremy on his school forms, even if it wasn't yet legally true. Aside from which, she'd needed an emergency contact that the children would be comfortable with.

"What happened?" Sara looked up at him curiously, she assumed it was Jeremy's school because no one would ask for him on her home phone. The team knew about their relationship, but if they needed him they usually called him on his cell.

She sat Olivia on the floor next to her brother and moved toward Grissom. The girl was unhappy with this though and toddled after her clinging to her pant leg.

"He did what? When? Yes, we'll be there shortly to pick him up. Thank you." Grissom hung up the phone with a sigh.

Sara scooped the needy Olivia into her arms. "What's going on?"

"Jeremy hit another boy."

"What! Why would he do that?" Surprise and concern laced her words.

"They don't know. He's locked himself into a closet and won't come out or answer any questions. They've asked us to come down to resolve the situation." Sara groaned and glanced down and Owen who was still happily playing with his cars, Olivia on the other hand was almost asleep on her shoulder.

"I guess we have to take these two with us. I would call Greg, but I'm sure he's still asleep." She moved around the apartment gathering things and shoving them into a recently purchase tote. They weren't going to be gone for long, but she'd learned never to leave home without a few supplies.

"Yeah, he and Nick worked a double last night. He probably is just getting to bed now," Grissom remarked glancing at his watch.

"Well alright, lets go I guess." She slipped the bag over her shoulder while shuffling Olivia a little to make it easier to hold the girl. "Owen we have to go to your brother's school, come on lets go ok?"

The boy looked up from his play a small scowl on his face.

"Wanna play!"

Grissom bent down to the boy's level and scooped him up along with a couple of Owen's favorite cars.

"I know you do Owen, but we have to go get Jeremy. When we come back you can play some more ok?"

Two little arms wrapped around Grissom's neck and the boy nodded resolutely and laid his head on Grissom's shoulder.

The four made quick time to Jeremy's school and were ushered into an empty classroom by the principal.

"He's in here." The principal indicated a closed door. at the end of the room.

"What exactly happened?" asked Grissom as Sara walked over to the door and tapped on it lightly. Olivia was still tighly gripped in her arms, so she shifted the small girl onto the other shoulder and tapped again..

"The other boy says that Jeremy just punched him for no reason, but I find that hard to believe. Of course Jeremy isn't speaking so we can't actually get his side of the story." The man shrugged.

"Well, can you leave us alone for a bit so we can try to get him out of the closet. We'll bring him to you when we do of course, but he may feel more comfortable with just us here."

"Sure, sure." The principal nodded and turned on his heel. "I'll just be in my office."

"Jeremy?" Sara tapped again, at the same time trying not to wake the little girl in her arms up. "It's Sara. Will you come out of there?" She tried the doorknob and it turned easily in her hand. She glanced over at Grissom. "Evidently they didn't try that." She pulled the door open the rest of the way and found Jeremy sitting on the floor surrounded by books and sound asleep.

"Oh! Griss, come here." There was a smile in her voice as she stepped back to give him a clear view of the boy.

Grissom came over. smiled, and then crouched down and shook him lightly to wake him up.

"Jeremy, come on you have to wake up."

The boy stirred and his eyes opened on Grissom and Sara.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" He groaned and stood up stiffly before making his way to one of the desks. Beside him Owen sat playing with his cars.

"We were called down here because you hit a boy." Grissom intoned calmly. He didn't want appear even remotely judgmental.

Jeremy propped his head up on his hand.

"Oh, yeah, I guess I forgot about that."

"Why did you hit him?" Sara asked.

"He was calling me names and I didn't like it."

"So you hit him?" Sara shook her head slightly.

Jeremy shrugged his shoulders.

"Jeremy you can't hit people for calling you names. No matter how bad they are." She reasoned.

"What did they call you?" asked Grissom.

"Orphan boy."

Sara's eyes closed, and she held back the anger his statement had caused. She knew how it felt to be taunted. "Oh, baby, you aren't an orphan!" Sara exclaimed. She quickly handed the sleeping Olivia to Grissom and crouched down in front of Jeremy. "You aren't an orphan. You have a family who loves you very much and you will be a part of this family for a really long time."

Tears flooded Jeremy's eyes, "are you sure?"

"I promise. In fact we both promise, don't we Grissom."

"Of course, I'm not going anywhere Jeremy and neither are you!" He moved over and ruffled the boy's hair.


End file.
